Wedding Night
by Andraste
Summary: An arranged Centauri wedding in an alternative universe.


Author's Notes: I blame Alara Rogers for getting me interested in genderswapping in the first place, and Selena, whose fanfic has influenced this heavily. (And by 'influenced this heavily' I mean 'I seem to have taken bits out of two of her stories and remixed them into a single entity'. And Hobsonphile for ... you'll see why.  
  
Oh, who am I kidding? This is all my fault.  
  
Chronologically, this would happen quite a few years before 'The Gathering' in this AU.  
  
Wedding Night  
  
By Andraste  
  
"Thank goodness that's over with."  
  
When Londo Mollari came into a room, even if it was his own bed chamber and he was wearing a nightshirt, nobody was left in any doubt that he'd made an entrance. He seemed to take up far more space than he should have.  
  
"There's nothing worse than a dull party," he continued. Londo hadn't *looked* bored swallowing brivari as if it were water. Still, she was sure that he'd been to far more parties than she had, and had more opportunity to compare them.  
  
  
  
Although she couldn't say she'd found it dull, Vira was equally glad that the celebrations were finished. She had never liked crowds, especially not when they were paying attention to her. Endless rounds of introductions to Londo Mollari's relatives had made her dizzier than the little wine she'd drunk. His two older wives were, if anything, even more intimidating than Londo himself - she was at least reasonably sure that he didn't *mean* to frighten her. She wasn't certain Timov felt the same, and Daegir had looked at her as if she'd been scrapped off someone's shoe.  
  
All things considered, Vira Cotto couldn't help thinking that being married into House Mollari was a bit like being thrown to a pack of wild liartes.  
  
What frightened her most was that her new husband didn't seem content to ignore her, the reaction she had anticipated. Their engagement had come as a surprise to both of them, a move in a game that involved a similar contract between his nephew and her cousin - Vira's uncle had insisted that his niece be married off before he would consent to giving away his daughter. Londo Mollari had agreed to the match, no doubt for the sake of his family, sight unseen.  
  
Vira had only been informed of her impending wedding after everything had been settled, startled out of the expectation that she would spend the rest of her life as a spinster. Her uncle's delight at getting rid of her was obvious from the beginning, so at least *somebody* had gained some happiness from the marriage.  
  
When she'd been summoned to meet her fiancé for the first time, she had entered the room in her customary demure manner, eyes focused firmly on the carpet. She had been surprised when he not only asked her questions about herself that went beyond polite inquiries regarding her health, but eventually walked over and placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head upward so he could look at her directly.  
  
"If we are to be married," he had said, "then you must get used to looking at me." She had felt herself turning crimson under his gaze. No strange man had ever touched her in such a way, and most people accepted her shyness as modesty appropriate to a Centauri lady. That was the one virtue of the proper wife that she *had* managed to master.  
  
Before Londo Mollari let her leave that day, he had kissed her hand, and that had made her blush harder than ever.  
  
Vira hadn't seen much of him in the months that followed, although there had been a steady stream of unnecessary courting gifts. If sheer terror over the wedding - of all those people who had looked at her for as long as it took to stumble her way through the vows - had served a purpose, it was to distract her from what would happen afterwards.  
  
Now, here she was, sitting on a bed three times as large as the one she had slept in for years, wearing a nightgown so elaborate that it made her feel completely ridiculous, wondering what Londo Mollari wanted from her. This was the first time they had been alone together.  
  
Vira knew that he had married her out of obligation, but she also knew that he had no heirs from his previous marriages, and her uncle had often made jokes about her suitability for breeding livestock. She'd heard similar remarks as they left the wedding feast that evening.  
  
The very thought of such things made her feel nervous and ill, although her usual appetite had abandoned her at the banquet and she'd eaten almost nothing. She hadn't let anyone see her naked since she had been old enough to dress and bathe herself.  
  
Vira could not help tensing when Londo sat down beside her, and when he put a hand on her shoulder she jumped away from the touch.  
  
"Great Maker," he said, rolling his eyes. "Calm yourself. I am not about to tear your clothes off and ravish you."  
  
Of course he wasn't. Why would anyone want to? "I'm sorry," she said, lowering her eyes even as she got up. "I'll go now and ..."  
  
"That was not what I meant." He sounded surprised rather than annoyed. "Please, sit down," he said, patting the bed. She did as he asked, this time leaving a comfortable distance between them. He did not try to touch her again.  
  
"I'm sorry," she found herself saying again. "I was only trying not to be inconvenient." She hesitated, but decided that she might as well say what they were both thinking. "I know that you didn't want to marry me. You don't have to ... pretend that you did."  
  
Londo didn't bother to deny it. "It is hardly your fault that you were made part of your cousin's dowry," he said, shrugging. "I can see that you didn't want to marry *me*. No doubt you have heard people say that I am a failure and a drunk." Vira couldn't see what that had to do with her desire to be anywhere but here, but perhaps it seemed relevant to him.  
  
"I've heard that's what people say," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral. She could hardly agree with the gossip, but denying its existence would be empty flattery. Vira already had a feeling that Londo Mollari had little patience with that.  
  
"And what do *you* say?"  
  
He was testing her, Vira was certain. She had spent her life telling anyone who bothered to ask her a question whatever they wanted to hear, but this time she had no idea what that *was*. Not knowing what to do, she settled on honesty. "I would say that I don't know you well enough to say anything at all."  
  
"Is *that* why you did not want to marry me?"  
  
Vira couldn't understand why he wanted her opinion at all, but telling him what she thought seemed to be working so far. It also made her feel strangely free. She was beginning to understand why Londo Mollari always seemed to say the first thing that came into his head. "I didn't want to marry anyone."  
  
It wasn't until she'd said it that she realised it was true. It wasn't that staying with her family made her happy, but she knew what they expected of her. She didn't know what Londo wanted her for, if she was anything more than an unwanted possession he would soon grow bored with and tuck away in a cupboard somewhere. Part of her wanted to simply stay as still as possible, in the hope that she would come to be ignored here just as she had been back home.  
  
Londo sighed and shook his head. "I think that is very sad. All young girls should wish for love, even if they are going to be bargained away to an old man they hardly know."  
  
Vira had never seen any sense in wishing for something she would never have, but she also thought she'd been honest enough for one night. "If you don't mind, I think I'd like to rest now." She was still too nervous to contemplate sleep, but talking to Londo was exhausting.  
  
"Of course," he said, getting to his feet. "Under the circumstances, I shall make myself comfortable on the couch." She started to protest, but he cut her off before she could get a word out. "I insist that you remain here," he said. "You are now a married Centauri lady. It would be unseemly for your husband to throw you out of bed on your wedding night."  
  
"Would it be any better for me to throw *you* out of bed?"  
  
He smiled at her. "It would not be the first time one of my wives has done that, I promise you."  
  
"It seems silly," she said carefully, "for either of us to go when there's more than enough room. Perhaps we should just sleep here." She hoped that he'd noticed the slight emphasis on the word 'sleep'.  
  
"If that is acceptable to you," he said, "I think it's an excellent idea."  
  
With no further ceremony, Londo climbed under the covers and lay down with every appearance of comfort. Vira climbed in beside him more cautiously, but before half an hour had passed her husband was snoring peacefully. The sound kept her awake long into the night, but she supposed it was one more thing that she could begin getting used to.  
  
The End 


End file.
